well, I guess I should post something

So, it's been awhile. Life has been crazy. Here is a recap.

• Father was diagnosed with bladder cancer and died 3 months later
• We moved to California for a year to take care of his "estate"
• So far have made over two dozen dump runs so far in taking care of his "estate"
• Much great writing, artwork, and photographs from my dad's have been collected
• My niece just got home from her mission in Indonesia
• Have reconnected with old friends
• Have visited old outdoor stomping grounds - Wright's Lake, Horsetail Falls, Icehouse, SF of the American, Quintette, Apple Hill, Bodega Bay, Redwoods, etc
• Have been writing my own stories based on concepts by my father
• Went to Hawaii with my wife, son, my brother and his family
  
• My son is growing. He talks, swims (with a life jacket), runs, laughs, flies kites, and is in general, a great joy to me
• My wife is patient (usually) and is fabulous for being a willing participant in this year long adventure

Life is pretty good, despite the death of my father. I find that when I am not angry at him for being a hoarder and putting me through this...trial?... I really do miss him. I wish Ethan was old enough to be able to remember him, but it is what it is. His house is haunted by my memories of him.

F@#!*&!! cancer...

First, my mother. Then Grandmother. Now it stalks two more loved ones like a ravenous beast bent on our destruction. Our enemy gives no quarter, shows no mercy, only relentless, insatiable hunger. The battle is truly lost before it's begun, yet fight we must, and hope. Yet fervent prayers from faithless lips fall only on deaf ears. I desperately need some hope. Not the hope for some improbably miracle, nor the hopeful platitudes of the well intentioned, not even the hope of a reunion hereafter, just a plain, simple hope that we can get through this, again, somehow.

Hot air balloon ride - Provo UT

OT - Simple things to save money

Like many, we have been looking at easy ways to save money thanks to our economic recession. Here are a few that we are doing:

1> if you have a cell phone, get rid of your land telephone line - I haven't had one in 5 years and I don't miss it at all. Saves $30 a month.
2> get rid of cable/satelite - a lot of TV programming is available online via Hulu.com and other sites and you can get local channels with an antennae - even in HD with the right equipment. We are killing ours this month and expect to save $80 a month.
3> for Utah residents - take advantage of Questar and Rocky Mountain Power rebates for new insulation. We literally had someone come out and install new insulation in our 30 year old home for free. We just send them the rebates when they come. Too early to say what the monthly cost savings will be, but this is free insulation! We are hoping for $20-25 savings per month in peak winter and summer months.
4> air dry dishes and clothes - we hope to save $10-20 a month doing this. For a large family, I imagine the savings would be more substantial. Also make sure that your machine is completely full to maximize the value of each wash cycle. The clothes aren't so "easy". :)
5> clip coupons - we routinely get $10-20 savings each time we grocery shop when we do this. Now we just need to be more consistent :). And leverage those gas cards at the grocery store - we routinely save another $10-20 a month with those gas discounts.
6> Compact flourescent bulbs - 15watt CFB = 60watt incandescent bulb. Mutliply by the number of bulbs in your house and it adds up. Also, turn off the lights when you leave a room and kill your outdoor lighting unless needed.
7> Get a credit card with reward options. We chose Amex and get frequent flyer miles as our bonus. We put every purchase we can on it and it has paid for numerous vacation flights over the years saving us literally thousands of $$$. There are lots of other options out there including cash back, but if you use a credit card, you are a fool not to get a card with "rewards".
8> Rent instead of buy - I have a large DVD collection, since my logic was that it was roughly the same price to buy the DVD as to see the film in the theater. But I have recently discovered the magic of Red Box and now rent any film that I don't consider "must have" instead for just a buck. Of course, since it is summer and there are quite a few movies I plan on seeing in theater, I plan on seeing most of this summer films as matinees to save a few bucks. I expect to save $200-300 a year doing this.

Photoshop experiments

While I adjust to having a newborn around (we love him so much it's ridiculous), I have found myself playing around with Photoshop more. Here is a couple of pics I just worked up of my brother-in-law from his senior portrait shoot. In addition to the traditional natural backdrop shots for mom and dad, we shot some fun stuff against seamless white paper that would allow a little more of his personality to come out (he likes to draw and play video games). Then I took some of his artwork and incorporated it into the first one and then photochopped the other with some PS brushes and metal textures (Metal Heart is a comic he draws). It was a lot of fun even if mom and dad aren't going to order a 16x24 (they actually did get an 8x10 of the first one) :)

My firstborn

Have to post a couple of pictures of my newborn son, Ethan, who was born this weekend. My wife was amazing and both are healthy and happy. Being a first time dad has it's challenges, but all it takes is one look at his face, hand, or toe to put a smile on my face.

Casper Grundy Wedding

I had the pleasure to shoot the wedding of Alyssa and Alax last weekend in Sacramento CA. They were a dream to work with - ready smiles, extremely patient, and fun to shoot. Here are a few of my favorites.